Order Kiosks in Food Service

This rick sees pluses and minuses, only some of which apply to you damn dirty apes.

Big minus is that my lion claws sometimes damage the touchscreen. The plus is that they do allow customization.

Also, I had to ask one of the counter help at Taco Bell why there wasn’t an option for ground wildebeest tacos. So order kiosks can’t do everything. ROAR!!!

I don't mind it as long as the control screen is user friendly. But I don't have a strong opinion.

Franchise restaurants and fast food in particular will sprint towards this regardless of the minimum wage rate, because automation and AI will be cheaper in the long run than in-store human employees (even at a lower minimum wage).

For fast food I mostly use the apps for the sweet deals that leave me more money for strippers

i can see it now expanding to strip club lap dances.

I recently went to a Japanese restaurant that had just opened and specializes in dumplings. Gyoza in Japanese. You are greeted and seated and then you order your food using your cell phone. you get your plates, cups etc from a table. A robot brings your food to you. The food was good but I didn't like the lack of service. At least we didn't have to tip.

I’m not a big fan of the kiosks, especially the ones that ask for a tip after you’ve finished your order, but I don’t care all that much because I so rarely ever eat in a fast food restaurant, plus if these kiosks become too available where will all of those special young people, you know the participation trophy generation, the find a job , very few of them have the skills needed to work anywhere else.

They've gone to mandatory kiosks at the medical clinic I go to, instead of human receptionists. It's almost comical. Since 80% of their patients must be senior citizens, how do you see this working out? And lots of nonessential questions to slow the process down even further.

As far as kiosks at fast food restaurants - that was probably the final reason I quit eating at them. Along with the high prices. The trouble with the old restaurant model, however, is you can't find old ladies willing to make over easy eggs for $2 an hour any more. So now everybody eats "breakfast wraps".

I hate kiosks at restaurants. Speaking to an actual person is a much better experience (most of the time). But there's no turning back now with the idiots who think that you can legislate the laws of economics. Pay someone $20 an hour to take my order? Or invest in a kiosk? It's a no brainer from a business perspective.

Why can't they just put in replicators like on Star Trek?

Taco Bell? I hope you didn’t catch your cat on fire when you tooted flames after eating a chalupa!!!!

smart kiosks and this new wave of technology can definitely tell you when something is out of stock or not available as it should be directly tied to the inventory system.

The issue with the self service kiosks is the are so often out of service. It is hard to get touch screen technology on that large of service and they should make it more like a 8-10' ipad.

I’ve gotten used to it. Although self checkout is a pain in the ass when I buy something with a lot of weight. I buy a bunch of Schweppes original seltzer when they go on sale. Like 15 cases. It’s a whole big pain in the ass, the machine has a weight limit.

Back in the old days, Horn and Hardart operated food service automats. The automat provided customers with a preview of all possible dining options, but unlike a vending machine, the food was freshly made and visible. The customer self-served; put money in the machine, opened a small glass window and removed the selection. No counter service and no waitress to tip. Better than today's kiosks.

@WiseToo: "Horn and Hardart operated food service automats." WOW! About a year ago I saw a documentary called "The Automat". Every thing was a nickel. Food was fresh. Quality was very high.

The doc interviewed Mel Brooks and a bunch of others. It's on Amazon Prime Video. I believe the original concept of H&H started in Germany, and these guys met up via a classified ad one ran looking for a partner. These places were beautiful.

Then, McDonalds and Burger King took over.

The Shake Shack kiosk should have a built-in defibrillator in case you get a heart attack when you see the total for your meal. They are damn good though.

I am a big fan of the kiosks, self-service, and self-checkout as a punishment (yes, punitive) and lesson taught to these idiots who think a zero-skill entry-level after-school job should earn $15-$20/hour. The only downside is that the smaller entrepreneurs or mom'n'pop shops will not be able to afford that tech as easily as the large corporations.

I have a friend in Chicago, a hard-core lib and unapologetic, useful idiot, straight-ticket democrat voter who refuses to use any self-service functions because he does not want to be responsible for taking anyone's job away from them. I feel they have voluntary surrendered their jobs, or at least their job security, by being greedy and unreasonable.

@misterorange - I feel like I am missing out because I have never eaten at Shake Shack, whataburger, or in n out. At the same time, everyone raved about Five Guys when it first opened locally, but to me it was the saltiest, greasiest, nastiest fast food yet.

I like that kiosks make it easy to customize your order.

^^ Gamma Ape’s rant made this rick realize something: the absence of interaction at the ordering phase makes it less likely that a young food service worker will realize that a customer is kind of a douche.

This raises a question: how will they know who’s food to spit on?

This rick has a solution: the doucheID AI system. A new AI associated with the kiosk that identifies douches and tells the folks preparing the meal when they need to add some boogers and cum for extra flavor.

You don’t want to know what the AI tells workers to do when Skifredo places an order. Let’s just say it works best with chocolate shakes. ROAR!!!

I appreciate the memories of the automat. Real food fast. Not fast food, fast. I don't use the kiosk because I don't eat garbage.

I don't eat much fast food anymore and almost never sit down. During those rare times when I get it for my kids, I usually use the drive thru and those are still 100% human being.

But from time to time I will come across a place with a kiosk setup, like an airport eatery. I have mixed feelings about them. Yes customization is much easier, which I appreciate. But sometimes they can be slow and cumbersome to use, with a bunch of freaking questions just to get the order complete. They also don't accept cash, which I sometimes like to use if I have a wad left over from my last SC outing.

Gamma that chicago friend sounds like an absolute buffoon, lol.

I think the Taco Bell kiosk, and probably other kiosks, are similar to the interface you get when ordering on the online website or mobile app. It’s easier to make substitutions and customizations.

An annoying thing about taco bell and mcdonalds is different locations can have drastically different prices even if they’re only a few miles apart. I remember a mcdonalds charging $2 for a pie that was only $1 at a location 2 miles away. You can add additional beef patties to a big mac- some locations only charge 60 cents each while some want $1.30 each or more.

@Puddy what do you get from dunkin

I don’t know if they could ever put a self serve checkout in a liquor store but last night I was wishing they did. I was meeting friends at a bar but I stopped to grab a cold six pack in case I decided to hit a BYOB strip club late night. I walked in, went to the fridges, grabbed the 6 pack and headed to the counter to pay with a credit card. I tapped the card and the woman at the register asks me if I want to add a tip?! For what? The only effort she put in was sliding the card reader across the counter. No showing me to the correct aisle, no asking if I needed help. Nothing. I also think she’s an owner of the store, also usually a no no for tips. I like interacting with people but I would have preferred the personality of a touch screen. Bring on Skynet and the Terminator. Humans suck.

The card readers around here all ask for tips at the store counters it’s ridiculous Even the convenience store around here ask

^The most ridiculous tip request I have ever received was when I upgraded my water heater. Payment was made to the installer using the square app and his iPad. After checking here and initialing there, a tip screen appeared with options for 25% / 30% / 35%, I had to select "other" to skip. I am in favor of abolishing tipping altogether because it has gotten so out of hand. I will continue to tip waitstaff for as long as it is taxed, because they get taxed whether I tip them or not (plumbers don't get taxed for tips); but I would like to see them get paid a full, reasonable wage commensurate with skills and experience.

I think starbucks and panera, for many years have asked for tips at the register. The worker usually wont ask for one but they have the tip jars and the option on the checkout screen.
There was a small family owned restaurant where the old man owner was also serving all the tables- probably too cheap to hire servers. I didn’t tip anything for that greediness

Apps and kiosks - depends on the software.

Most food apps are pretty good, I find it a pain in the ass to carry all these apps on my phone and remember a password for an app I may use twice a year.

I find most kiosks a pain in the ass, it’s always some huge ordeal if you want to remove one topping on a sandwich or something that would be simple fix if you were talking to a person.

Generally for me if I’m going through a drive thru I use an app, if I’m going inside I go to the staff and order over a kiosk if that’s an option.

I was initially resistant to apps and kiosks when they first appeared, but not any more. I really like being in control of the order and having a detailed order review before paying. Mobile / apps orders are a dream after the initial learning curve. My rewards number, order preferences, and CC all stored... and I can order ahead before walking / driving to the pick up.

This rick thought he’d bump this thread because it is far more interesting than anything else being posted right now.

Also, I have a request: whenever any of you weirdo perverts go to Taco Bell would you be a lamb and ask for the wildebeest tacos? Imma tryin’ to start a lion-y movement. ROAR!!!

I tried crossing out "beef" and writing "wildebeest" on the kiosk screen with my keister-sharpie. Still got beef though.

I'm going to expand my earlier comments to include self serve checkouts because, IMO, they belong in the same category. A lot of these have popped up in a lot of venues even since this thread was started 6 months ago.

IME ordering kiosks and self-checkouts can be either a blessing or a curse. But to be crystal clear, this has nothing to do with low wage workers losing their jobs because dipshits thought it was a swell idea to raise the minimum wage to $16-20 per hour. This is all about ME ME ME ME ME.

When they save me time, they are a blessing. I have really come to appreciate the rows of self-serve checkouts that have popped up in supermarkets, pharmacies and even convenience stores when I just need to grab a few things and want to zip out quickly. A few quick scans, a tap of my card and I'm on my way.

I have also come to appreciate ordering on a kiosk or even on my phone when they make customization easy to do. All too often, when I have to ask a cashier or waitress for it, they screw it up. Ease and accuracy are greatly appreciated.

But when I have to purchase a large order at a supermarket and have to wait in a long line because they only have 1 human cashier on duty, they become the bane of my existence. Same when the software on an order kiosk is cumbersome to use and/or inflexible in allowing order deviations. Or when I buy an age-restricted item and have to wait 5 minutes for a human being to come and approve the purchase. Then I want to take a baseball bat to these machines, lol.

Watching old people use the self-checkout line made me go back to ones manned by humans.

Lately, I find myself ordering curbside pick up from the apps. You can easily customize orders and often times there’s a discount for using the app. And the food is hotter and fresher and I’m only waiting a minute or two longer.than drive thru

Nicespice... Did you receive your order to your particular details? And how about the wait time...🤔

We're reviewing the Taco Bell? Is it a strip club Taco Bell combo? Can you get a titty taco? No tortilla, taco fillings between a staff member's boobs, dine and then motor boat?

I still prefer face-to-face ordering with a pretty girl.